Rowling announces Harry Potter play

Boy wizard Harry Potter is heading for a new adventure on stage, following his outings in print and on the big screen.

Author JK Rowling has announced that a new play, Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, will open in London in summer 2016.

The drama, which is based on a new story written by Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany and will feature music by Imogen Heap, will explore “an untold part of Harry’s story” and is not a prequel.

It will be the first play about the teenage wizard.

The 49-year-old writer tweeted: “It will tell a new story, which is the result of a collaboration between writer Jack Thorne, director John Tiffany and myself. #CursedChild

“I don’t want to say too much more, because I don’t want to spoil what I know will be a real treat for fans. However, I can say that it is not a prequel!”

Rowling, whose Harry Potter books have been adapted into eight films starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, said she decided on the medium of theatre rather than another page-turner.

“To answer one inevitable (and reasonable!) question - Why isn’t #CursedChild a new novel? - I am confident that when audiences see the play they will agree that it was the only proper medium for the story,” she wrote.

“I’ve had countless offers to extend Harry’s story over the years, but Jack, John and Sonia Friedman are a dream team! It has been a huge pleasure to share with them (and soon, with you!) this untold part of Harry’s story.”

Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, directed by Tiffany, will open at London’s Palace Theatre, with tickets going on sale in the autumn.

Rowling’s Harry Potter books have sold more than 450 million copies around the world and spawned spin-offs such as the encyclopedia Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, which is also being turned into a film starring Eddie Redmayne.